Abstract

Background: Venipuncture is a common invasive procedure performed in pediatric wards, often causing significant pain in hospitalized children.

Aim: The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of a combined program on the severity of venipuncture pain in hospitalized children.

Methods: This study was a semi-experimental design. The study assessed pain intensity during venipuncture procedures in a sample of 90 children aged 3 to 6 years. The participants were selected through a census sampling method from a children hospital affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

Results: The study included 180 venipuncture procedures performed on two groups. The mean pain intensity scores for venipuncture in the control and intervention groups before and after the intervention were 8.60 and 3.11 out of 10, respectively. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test revealed a significant difference in the mean pain intensity scores of venipuncture before and after the intervention between the two groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the pain management program effectively reduced the intensity of venipuncture-related pain in hospitalized children. Therefore, it is recommended to implement the combined program mentioned above to enhance pain management practices among healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, when treating children.

Keywords: Pain management, children, venipuncture